Scale, fund & exit

What breaks at each level, the money to fund it, and building a brand to sell.

What founders use for scale, fund & exit, ranked by how many answers lean on it.

  1. A cross-border payments platform's comprehensive list of every major Indian export promotion scheme in one place - RoDTEP,... skydo.com Article Export Promotion Schemes in India: Full List (2026) Skydo In 2 answers
  2. A tax advisory firm's technical read on export incentives, useful once you're past the beginner explainers and want the... rsm.global Article Export Incentives in India: RoDTEP Scheme, EPCG & More RSM India In 2 answers
  3. Connects the scheme-by-scheme detail to an actual go-global strategy for MSMEs, which is the framing most founders actually... mygstrefund.com Article How MSMEs Can Go Global: Schemes & Strategy MYGSTRefund In 2 answers
  4. India's specialist early-stage consumer brand VC, with 89+ investments including boAt, Mamaearth, Yoga Bar and Vahdam Teas. If... firesideventures.com Tool Fireside Ventures Fireside Ventures In 2 answers
  5. A global-leaning list of active D2C-funding VCs that's useful once you're looking beyond India for a cross-border or... ellty.com Article D2C Investors: 45 Active VCs Funding Consumer Brands Ellty In 2 answers
  6. A 12-week cohort program with 300+ D2C brands already through it, built specifically to take brands from ₹1 crore to ₹10 crore... d2cx.co Course D2CX by Inc42 - Master 10X D2C Growth in 12 Weeks Inc42 In 2 answers
  7. Amazon's own writeup of its Global Selling Propel accelerator cohort - useful if your growth path runs through Amazon India or... aboutamazon.in Article 47 D2C Brands Shortlisted for Amazon Propel Startup Accelerator About Amazon India In 2 answers
  8. A martech-backed accelerator ('D2C Blaze') aimed squarely at early-stage D2C brands, run with Headstart Network - worth it... netcorecloud.com Article Netcore Cloud Launches $1Mn Accelerator Program Aimed at D2C Startups in India Netcore Cloud In 2 answers
  9. A practical, D2C-specific how-to on building brand partnerships rather than a generic marketing-agency piece - covers real... adroll.com Article How to Build Partnerships as a D2C Brand AdRoll In 2 answers
  10. Argues, from an Indian retail-trade perspective, why collaboration is displacing discounting as the preferred growth lever for... indianretailer.com Article Why D2C Brands Prefer Collaboration over Competitive Prices Indian Retailer In 2 answers
  11. A partnership-management platform's taxonomy of the six actual types of brand partnership - the clearest single reference for... impact.com Article Brand Partnerships: 6 Types, Benefits & How to Find Partners impact.com In 2 answers
  12. Focuses on the strategic and structural side of forming a partnership - market unlock, mutual value, and doing it right -... brandedagency.com Article Forming Strategic Brand Partnerships Branded Agency In 2 answers
  13. A marketer's practitioner breakdown of concrete partnership activities you can actually run this quarter, not just abstract... rachelandreago.com Article Brand Partnership Strategy: Types and Activities Rachel Andreago In 2 answers
  14. Documents boAt's actual collaboration playbook - Marvel-themed earbuds, the boAt x Masaba Gupta fashion-meets-tech line - the... eflot.com Article boAt Marketing Strategy Case Study eflot In 2 answers
  15. A branding-education site's example-driven explainer that complements HubSpot's list with a different set of case studies and a... brandmasteracademy.com Article What Is Co-Branding? Top Examples of Successful Partnerships Brand Master Academy In 2 answers
  16. A data-backed benchmark from 410M+ shipments across 6,000+ brands, the closest thing to an industry yardstick for where your... Unicommerce Report India D2C Report 2026: Operations, RTO & Growth Data Unicommerce In 2 answers
  17. A widely-cited diagnosis of the ₹100 crore ceiling from a mainstream Indian business publication - useful as the reference... entrepreneur.com Article Why Most Indian D2C Brands Fail to Cross INR 100 Crore Mark Entrepreneur India In 2 answers
  18. A working Indian VC fund's own analysis of what separates brands that break through ₹100 crore from those that don't - written... 3one4capital.com Article Signals: Breaking the ₹100Cr Ceiling for D2C Brands 3one4 Capital In 2 answers
  19. Focuses specifically on the leadership-layer question - when to move from doer-hires to function-owning leaders - which is a... baincapitalventures.com Article How to Hire Your First Startup Leadership Team Bain Capital Ventures In 2 answers
  20. A practical, operator-written guide to sourcing and evaluating early hires on limited resources - useful for the tactical 'how... hotjar.com Article Startup Hiring: Finding Your First Hires & Key Employees Hotjar In 2 answers
  21. Directly addresses the budget constraint most D2C founders face at this stage - how to compete for talent when you can't... fi.co Article How to Find the First Hires for Your Startup on a Budget First Round / Fi.co In 2 answers
  22. The clearest single overview of why and how Indian D2C brands are moving offline, with market sizing that grounds the decision... inc42.com Article D2C Brands Redefining Retail: Breaking Digital Chains With Offline Expansion Inc42
  23. A retail-trade publication's read on how D2C brands are disrupting incumbent retail dynamics - useful context for understanding... indianretailer.com Article How 800+ D2C Brands Are Shaking Up India's Retail! Indian Retailer
  24. A retail-tech platform's practical framing of the 'click to bricks' transition, useful for the operational questions of what... fynd.com Article Click to Bricks: D2C Brands Embracing Offline Expansion Fynd

Show the next 24

The questions

Scaling 1Cr to 10Cr to 100Cr 6

What breaks, and what to fix first, at each level.

What actually breaks when a D2C brand goes from ₹1 crore to ₹10 crore in revenue? 3 → What changes operationally between ₹10 crore and ₹100 crore - what worked before stops working? 2 → Why do most Indian D2C brands get stuck and never cross ₹100 crore? 3 → How do Indian consumer VCs like Fireside Ventures and Sauce.vc actually think about which brands can scale? 4 → What can I learn from how Mamaearth and WOW Skin Science scaled - and where did they hit trouble? 3 → All 6 questions in Scaling 1Cr to 10Cr to 100Cr →
Building your D2C team 6

The first ten hires that make or break a brand.

What are the first 5-10 hires a D2C founder should make, and in what order? 4 → Should my first marketing hire be a generalist or a specialist - performance marketer vs brand marketer? 3 → When do I need to hire an operations or supply chain person instead of doing it myself? 3 → How do I hire well on a tight budget before I've raised real money? 3 → Where do I actually find good D2C talent in India, and what should I pay? 3 → All 6 questions in Building your D2C team →
Funding a D2C brand 6

VC, revenue-based finance, venture debt, or none.

Should I bootstrap my D2C brand or raise VC money? 4 → What is revenue-based financing and how does it work for D2C brands in India? 4 → What's venture debt, and when should I take it instead of - or alongside - equity? 3 → How do I finance inventory without giving up equity? 3 → Klub, GetVantage or Velocity - which RBF platform is actually right for my brand? 4 → All 6 questions in Funding a D2C brand →
D2C investors & accelerators 6

Who backs consumer brands, and what they want.

Which VCs actually invest in D2C and consumer brands in India? 4 → What do consumer VCs actually look for before writing a check? 2 → Are there D2C-focused accelerators in India worth applying to? 4 → Is Amazon's Propel accelerator or a similar marketplace program worth it for a small brand? 3 → How do I build a shortlist of investors instead of mass-emailing everyone I can find? 4 → All 6 questions in D2C investors & accelerators →
Grants & government schemes 6

MSME, export incentives, and non-dilutive money.

Do I need MSME/Udyam registration for my D2C brand, and what does it actually get me? 3 → What is the Startup India Seed Fund Scheme (SISFS) and can my D2C brand apply? 3 → What is RoDTEP and how does it help if I export through Amazon Global or Shopify? 4 → What other export incentive schemes exist besides RoDTEP for a D2C brand? 3 → Are there government loan schemes (CGTMSE, MUDRA, PMEGP) I should know about before going to a bank? 3 → All 6 questions in Grants & government schemes →
Partnerships & collaborations 6

Grow by borrowing someone else's audience.

What's the actual playbook for a D2C brand-to-brand collaboration? 4 → Co-marketing vs co-branding vs sponsorship - what's the difference and which should I do? 3 → How do I find a brand to partner with that isn't a direct competitor? 3 → What do good D2C co-branding campaigns actually look like? 3 → Are Indian D2C brands actually doing meaningful collabs, or is it mostly a Western D2C thing? 3 → All 6 questions in Partnerships & collaborations →
Distributors & channel partners 6

Add feet on the street without hiring them.

Should I even bother with offline distribution, or stay D2C-only? 3 → What's the difference between modern trade and general trade, and which should I start with? 3 → How do I actually find and vet a distributor in India? 3 → What is ONDC and should my brand list on it? 2 → Is quick commerce killing traditional distributors, or do I need both? 3 → All 6 questions in Distributors & channel partners →
Selling or exiting your brand 6

Roll-ups, acquisitions, and building to sell.

What is the Thrasio/roll-up model, and would my brand actually get acquired by one? 4 → Which roll-ups and acquirers are actively buying D2C brands in India right now? 4 → How is my D2C brand actually valued when someone wants to buy it? 3 → What do I need to get in order before I even think about selling? 3 → Should I sell to a strategic acquirer (HUL, Marico, Reliance) or a roll-up firm? 3 → All 6 questions in Selling or exiting your brand →
eChai Partner Brands The partnership →